


Balance

by carmenta



Category: Coldfire - Friedman
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-01
Updated: 2006-09-01
Packaged: 2017-10-08 05:55:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/73418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmenta/pseuds/carmenta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little snippet on Ciani and Gerald at the end of BSR.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balance

Another night of celebrations, this time because yet another tribe would leave in the morning and return to their accustomed territory. And because one of the human visitors had gone, who had been instrumental in giving the rakh reason to celebrate at all.

Ciani stayed for a while, until customs were satisfied and she could leave without appearing impolite to her hosts. Once she was certain her absence would not be remarked upon, she slipped away, towards the forest not so far from the main camp.

Shadowed ground and dark trees, a dense blackness. In the true night, not even the snow's whiteness set a true counterpoint in the faint light from the camp.

"Damien left today," she said to the shadows.

"I know," came the answering whisper, the voice raw with injury and pain.

"You should have gone with him," she continued. "It is not too late yet. I could Work a Calling…"

"No." The Hunter shook his head, invisible in the darkness of a true night, but bright in the dark fae.

"It was not what he agreed to when he allowed our arrangement," he said. "What he could accept was to do it because it would help you. This would only help me, and that was not in our terms."

"You know that he would be able to deal with it," Ciani pointed out. "He did not leave you in the fire either."

"I know."

She shook her head. "Fool," she whispered, and heard the answering chuckle.

"Perhaps," he admitted.

"What will you do now?"

A pause, long enough to make her think there would be no answer.

"Wait," Tarrant eventually said. "The dark fae will be enough."

She gave him a sceptic look.

"It will have to be," he insisted. "With Vryce gone, there are only the rakh. And their fears are not rich enough in texture to give me what I need."

"There is another way," she said quietly.

Again, a pause.

"No," he hissed.

"Yes," she insisted.

"I will not indebt myself to you again, Lady. Not in this way. Bringing harm to you once was too much already."

"Would it be harm?" she asked. "I think not."

"The nightmares, the fear…"

"I already feel that. Do you think that I do not dream of what happened to me? Losing my adeptitude? Or of being in the hands of those demons again? Do you think I don't dream of the fire anymore?"

She saw him shiver.

"I know you do," he admitted.

"You can feel it," she said.

He bowed his head in assent.

"Then you know that I am offering you a solution."

"It would still need a channel of sorts," he said. "Which I will not allow. Not with you, not for this."

"There already is a channel between us. Not as strong as the one between you and Damien, however you forged that." She waited for a moment, but he did not appear about to volunteer the information. "You left your mark on me when you claimed my memories in Morgot."

"Something I sincerely regret."

She waved it off. "I know. You repaid that debt, and more," she said. "In my eyes it was settled in the Forest already. That you came with us… that places me in your debt now. So let me help when it comes to undoing some of the damage it wrought."

"I cannot ask that of you," he whispered, despite the hunger in his eyes. The dark fae was gathering around him in response, and she could see the effort it took him to rein it in and redirect the power to more useful channels. Minute healings, not nearly enough to battle the damage wrought by the sunlight. This wasn't like the fire, when it had only taken him a day to recover. This lay much deeper, caused by a far stronger force than mere flames.

"You are not asking," she said. "I am offering."

Still he hesitated.

"You accepted it before."

A small smile, without humour. "Because you left me no choice. I recall Vryce threatening to force your blood down my throat if he had to." He looked at her. "You need not do this."

"Consider this my way of leaving my mark on you," she said.

He looked surprised. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked.

She smirked. "For the same reason the Hunter left his mark on my bedpost once. It makes for an interesting story."

The answering smile was genuine this time. "Just so," he agreed.

"The kind of tale to tell to my grandchildren. If I had grandchildren, or children to have them, that is."

An assessing look that made her wonder.

"I imagine Vryce would hardly be averse to the suggestion of assisting you in this matter," Tarrant said.

Ciani laughed, then shook her head. "No," she said firmly.

Assessment changed to inquisitiveness.

"I won't deny that it is not tempting. But he is not an adept."

"Which means?" the Hunter asked.

She sighed. "He may come to resent me for being one."

A knowing look. "And thus Mer Reese's legacy surfaces," he said.

She said nothing. Merely nodded and thought of Senzei, his obsession with becoming an adept like her, and where it had led him.

"Once more it becomes obvious why so few of us have descendants," Tarrant mused. "The lack of acceptance, the risk that the children may not take after us in power…"

"It has not stopped some of us," Ciani said pointedly. "Present company not excluded."

They fell silent.

Casca rose in the west, the moon's faint light ending the true night. They both watched as the dark fae faded again, back into the shadows of the forest.

"There is no reason for you not to accept my offer," Ciani eventually said.

"Quite the contrary," Tarrant countered. "There are far too many of them."

"But none that matter. Stop protesting, Gerald. Or are you so fond of the rakhlands that you want to spend a few more months here? Because if I am any judge, that is how long it will take you to heal enough to survive the passage through the canopy."

"Perhaps I enjoy the company here?"

"Somehow I find myself doubting that my presence makes up for that of several tribes of rakh. Besides, now that Damien is gone, who are you going to argue with?"

"Ah, but you are doing so splendidly."

Laughing, she shook her head. "Return to your Forest, Hunter," she said. "We both know you want to. And we both know that you cannot really refuse my offer."

For a long time he merely looked at her. Then he bowed his head.

"As you wish," he whispered.


End file.
